Cleaning device and control method therefor

Abstract

A cleaning device, comprising a device body and a wheel assembly. The device body comprises a stopper, and the wheel assembly comprises a main wheel and a rotary member. The rotary member is connected to the main wheel and is rotatable relative to the main wheel. During rotation of the rotary member, the rotary member can abut against the stopper. When the rotary member abuts against the stopper and rotates, the rotary member adjusts the distance between the device body and the main wheel.

Description

Cleaning equipment and its control methods Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent applications Nos. 202510112956.9 and 202520166746.3, filed on January 23, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure belongs to the field of cleaning equipment technology, and in particular relates to a cleaning device and its control method. Background Technology

[0003] Cleaning equipment is a common type of intelligent cleaning appliance, such as robotic vacuum cleaners and automatic sweeping machines. The ability of cleaning equipment to overcome obstacles during automatic operation is crucial; the obstacle-crossing height limits the working range and operational reliability of the cleaning equipment.

[0004] In related technologies, the ability of cleaning equipment to overcome higher obstacles such as thresholds and steps needs to be further improved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure aims to at least address one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this disclosure proposes a cleaning device and its control method, which can increase the vertical distance between the chassis and the main wheels to improve the obstacle-crossing performance of the cleaning device.

[0006] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, comprising a device body and a wheel assembly. The device body includes a blocking member. The wheel assembly is connected to the device body and guides the movement of the device body. The wheel assembly includes a main wheel and a rotating member. The main wheel guides the movement of the device body, and the rotating member is rotatably connected to the main wheel. When the rotating member rotates against the blocking member, the rotating member adjusts the distance between the device body and the main wheel.

[0007] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, comprising a device body and a wheel assembly. The wheel assembly is connected to the device body and guides the movement of the device body. The wheel assembly includes a main wheel and a rotating member, the main wheel guiding the movement of the device body, the rotating member being rotatably connected to the main wheel, and adjusting the distance between the main wheel and at least a portion of the device body relative to the operating surface when the rotating member rotates and abuts against an operating surface.

[0008] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a method for controlling a cleaning device is provided, comprising: controlling a rotating component of the cleaning device to abut against and rotate the main body of the cleaning device to adjust the distance between the main body of the device and the main wheel of the cleaning device; and controlling the main wheel to guide the cleaning device to move until the cleaning device passes over an obstacle.

[0009] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method for controlling a cleaning device is provided, comprising: controlling a rotating component of the cleaning device to rotate until an auxiliary wheel of the rotating component abuts against an operating surface; adjusting the distance between the main wheel of the cleaning device and at least a portion of the main body of the cleaning device relative to the operating surface via the auxiliary wheel; and controlling the main wheel and the auxiliary wheel to guide the cleaning device to move until the cleaning device passes over an obstacle. Attached Figure Description

[0010] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0011] Figure 1 shows a first structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2 shows a bottom view of the cleaning equipment in Figure 1.

[0013] Figure 3 shows the assembly structure of the main body and wheel assembly of the cleaning equipment in Figure 1.

[0014] Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C respectively show schematic diagrams of the cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure when the rotating member is rotated clockwise to different positions.

[0015] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the rotating part abutting against the blocking part in the cleaning equipment of Figures 4A, 4B and 4C.

[0016] Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C respectively show schematic diagrams of the cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure when the rotating member is rotated to different positions in a counterclockwise direction.

[0017] Figures 7A and 7B show schematic diagrams of a rotating member abutting a blocking member in a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figures 8A and 8B show schematic diagrams of a rotating member abutting a blocking member in a cleaning device according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the chassis of the cleaning equipment according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 10 shows a second structural schematic diagram of the cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 11 shows an assembly structure diagram of the main body of the device and the wheel assembly in a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. To facilitate the display of the relative positional relationship between the blocking member, the rotating member and the auxiliary wheel, the wheel assembly on one side is hidden.

[0022] Figure 11A shows a partial enlarged view of Figure 11.

[0023] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the wheel assembly in the cleaning device of Figure 10.

[0024] Figure 13 shows the internal structure of the wheel assembly in Figure 12.

[0025] Figure 14 shows a schematic diagram of the rotating arm of the rotating component in the wheel assembly of Figure 12.

[0026] Figure 15 shows a schematic diagram of the output section in the wheel assembly of Figure 12.

[0027] Figure 16 shows the assembly structure diagram of the output section and the transmission section in the wheel assembly of Figure 12.

[0028] Figure 17 shows an exploded view of the wheel assembly of Figure 12.

[0029] Figure 18 shows a third structural schematic diagram of the cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 19 shows a fourth structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 20 shows a fifth structural schematic diagram of the cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 21 shows a first flowchart of a control method for a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figures 21A and 21B show schematic diagrams of the control method for the cleaning equipment in Figure 21.

[0034] Figure 22 shows a second flowchart of a control method for a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figures 22A to 22E show schematic diagrams of the control method for the cleaning equipment in Figure 21.

[0036] Figure 23 shows a flowchart of step 106 of a control method for a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figures 23A to 23F show schematic diagrams of the control method for the cleaning equipment in Figure 23.

[0038] Figure 24 shows a flowchart of step 105 of a control method for a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figures 24A to 24C show schematic diagrams of the state of the control method for the cleaning equipment in Figure 24.

[0040] Figure 25 shows a third flowchart of a control method for a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figures 25A to 25E show schematic diagrams of the control method for the cleaning equipment in Figure 25.

[0042] Figure 26 shows a fourth flowchart of a control method for a cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figures 26A to 26C show schematic diagrams of the state of the control method for the cleaning equipment in Figure 26.

[0044] Figure 27 shows a state diagram of the control method of the cleaning equipment in one or more embodiments of the application.

[0045] Reference numerals: 100, Cleaning equipment; 101, Wheel assembly; 110, Equipment body; 111, Chassis; 112, Top cover; 113, Blocking component; 1131, Blocking surface; 120, Walking component; 121, Main wheel; 122, First driving component; 123, First transmission component; 124, Housing; 1241, First base; 1242, First top cover; 1243, Second top cover; 125, Second driving component; 126, Second transmission component; 1261, Output section; 1262, 1263, 1264, 1265, 1266, 1267, 1268, 1269, 1260, 1261, 1261, 1261, 1262, 1263, 1264, 1265, 1266, 1266, 1267, 1268, 1269 ...6, 1267, 1268, 1269, 1261, 1261, 1262, 1263, 1266, 1267, 1268 1. Protrusion; 127. Position detection component; 130. Rotating component; 131. Rotating arm; 1311. Second base; 13111. Groove; 1312. Third top cover; 132. Auxiliary wheel; 133. Third transmission component; 1331. Transmission unit; 140. Driven wheel; 141. Wheel frame; 150. Support wheel; 160. Cleaning component; 161. Roller brush module; 162. Side brush module; 163. Mopping module; 180. Obstacle detection component; M. Obstacle; N. Operating surface. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand this disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0047] Furthermore, reference numerals and / or reference letters may be repeated in different examples in this disclosure. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity purposes and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, this disclosure provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those skilled in the art will recognize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0048] When cleaning equipment encounters obstacles during autonomous operation, it needs to avoid or overcome them. The obstacle-crossing height limits the working range and operational reliability of the cleaning equipment. In related technologies, the cleaning equipment typically tilts the entire machine backward when crossing obstacles, causing the front end of the machine to rise. The obstacle-crossing function is achieved by adjusting the angle and speed at which the cleaning equipment approaches the obstacle. However, this solution is limited in effectiveness due to physical limitations such as the height of the cleaning equipment off the ground.

[0049] To improve the obstacle-crossing capability of cleaning equipment from a physical perspective, this disclosure provides one or more embodiments of a cleaning device and its control method. By actively raising the main body of the device, the ground clearance of the chassis is increased, so that the components below the main body of the device are higher than the obstacles. During the obstacle-crossing process, there is no part of the cleaning device that interferes with the obstacles, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the obstacle-crossing height.

[0050] The specific technical solutions of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. Similar or identical reference numerals may be used to designate the same or similar parts in different figures. The use of similar or identical reference numerals in different figures does not mean that all figures including similar or identical reference numerals constitute a single or the same embodiment. The accompanying drawings illustrate the various embodiments discussed in this disclosure in a generalized, illustrative, and not restrictive manner.

[0051] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. According to a first aspect embodiment of this disclosure, a cleaning device 100 is provided, which may be a sweeping robot, a mopping robot, or a combined sweeping and mopping robot. The cleaning device 100 includes at least a device body 110, a wheel assembly 101, and cleaning components 160 necessary for cleaning operations, such as a roller brush module 161, a side brush module 162, and a mopping module 163. The device body 110 serves as the mounting base for the wheel assembly 101 and the cleaning components 160, and defines the appearance of the cleaning device 100. Therefore, the device body 110 includes at least a top cover 112 and a chassis 111. The top cover 112 at least defines the top surface of the cleaning device 100, and the chassis 111 mainly serves a load-bearing function for mounting the wheel assembly 101 and the cleaning components 160. Therefore, the top cover 112 and the chassis 111 can be configured as an integral structure containing only one component, or as a split structure composed of multiple components, depending on actual needs.

[0052] The cleaning equipment 100 typically includes a controller and several obstacle detection devices 180. These obstacle detection devices 180 can be distance sensors or machine vision systems. They detect the distance between obstacles and the main body of the equipment 110, as well as the size of the obstacles. For fixed structures such as steps and thresholds, the position and size information of each fixed obstacle can be marked on the cleaning map constructed by the cleaning equipment 100. For obstacles with variable positions, such as stools, toys, trash cans, and books, the cleaning equipment 100 needs to automatically detect them during operation.

[0053] The wheel assembly 101 guides the movement of the main body 110 of the equipment. During the cleaning process performed by the cleaning equipment 100, the wheel assembly 101 can move forward, backward, or rotate according to instructions, enabling the cleaning equipment 100 to move forward, backward, or turn, thereby reaching various positions in the area to be cleaned. Typically, two wheel assemblies 101 are provided, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the main body of the equipment, with the axis of symmetry parallel to the direction of travel of the cleaning equipment 100.

[0054] In some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 can also move up and down relative to the main body 110 according to instructions, thereby changing the ground clearance of the main body 110 and improving the obstacle-crossing ability and passability of the cleaning equipment 100. In this case, the wheel assembly 101 needs to be rotatably connected to the main body 110, allowing relative rotation between them. For example, a cable and a cable drive can be provided in the main body 110. The cable acts on the wheel assembly 101; when pulled, it causes the wheel assembly 101 to rotate relative to the main body 110, thus adjusting the vertical distance between the main body 110 and the main wheel 121. More detailed information about the wheel assembly 101 will be provided later.

[0055] It should be noted that, for ease of understanding, the following explanation is based on the horizontally positioned operating surface N. When explaining based on the horizontally positioned operating surface N, adjusting the vertical distance between the main body 110 and the main wheel 121 can be understood as adjusting the height at which the main body 110 is raised relative to the main wheel 121. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the operating surface is the physical surface on which the cleaning equipment 100 is currently traveling, which can be the ground, a tabletop, the surface of a raised platform, etc. For example, if the cleaning equipment 100 is currently traveling on the ground, then the ground is the operating surface N; similarly, if the cleaning equipment 100 is currently traveling on a step, then the step surface is the operating surface N. The operating surface N can also be a slope, an incline, an uneven curved surface, etc. This disclosure does not limit the shape or orientation of the operating surface N.

[0056] Furthermore, Figure 3 shows a side view of the cleaning device 100 in a driving state. For ease of understanding, the following description will be based on the wheel assembly 101 on the side of the device body 110 along the driving direction, by way of example. Unless otherwise stated, the description of the wheel assembly 101 is also suitable for the wheel assembly on the other side of the device body 110 along the driving direction.

[0057] Referring to Figure 3, in some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 includes a traveling member 120 and a rotating member 130. The traveling member 120 guides the movement of the device body 110. In some embodiments, the traveling member 120 includes a main wheel 121, which serves as a drive wheel, and the traveling member 120 drives the entire cleaning device 100 through the main wheel 121. The rotating member 130 is rotatably connected to the wheel assembly 101 and is capable of rotating relative to the main wheel 121. The rotation of the rotating member 130 and the rotation of the main wheel 121 can be driven by the same drive member or by different drive members, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0058] Referring to Figure 3, in some embodiments, the device body 110 includes a blocking member 113, and the blocking member 113 moves together with the device body 110. As one embodiment, the blocking member 113 can be a separate part fixedly mounted on the device body 110; for example, the blocking member 113 can be a part independent of the top cover 112 and the chassis 111; this part is connected to at least one of the top cover 112 and the chassis 111. As another embodiment, the blocking member 113 can also be part of the device body 110; for example, the blocking member 113 can be part of the chassis 111. This disclosure does not limit the structure of the blocking member 113. More detailed information about the blocking member 113 will be described later.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 3. During rotation, the rotating component 130 will contact the blocking component 113. When the rotating component 130 abuts against the blocking component 113 and rotates, the rotating component 130 pushes the blocking component 113 to adjust the vertical distance between the main body 110 and the main wheel 121.

[0060] Figures 4A to 4C illustrate the relative positional changes between the rotating member 130 and the blocking member 113 during rotation in some embodiments. Referring to Figures 4A to 4C, when the rotating member 130 abuts against the blocking member 113 and rotates, the blocking member 113 is pushed by the rotating member 130, adjusting its distance relative to the main wheel 121. This causes the distance of the entire device body 110 relative to the main wheel 121 to increase or decrease. At this time, the ground clearance h of the chassis 111 of the device body 110 increases, thereby enabling it to overcome higher obstacles and improving the obstacle-crossing effect of the cleaning device 100.

[0061] As can be seen from Figures 4A to 4C, the blocking member 113 can be adjusted in distance relative to the main wheel 121 by being pushed by the rotating member 130. That is, when the rotating member 130 moves in the first direction, for example upwards, the distance between the device body 110 and the main wheel 121 (e.g., relative to the center of the main wheel 121) increases. In other words, if the main wheel 121 is on the operating surface N, the lifting height of the device body 110 relative to the bottom of the main wheel 121 (i.e., the operating surface N contacted by the main wheel 121) increases. For example, when the cleaning device 100 is located on the operating surface N, this can be manifested as an increase in the distance h of the chassis 111 of the device body 110 from the operating surface N, i.e., the height h above the surface, such that h3 > h2 > h1, where h1 is the height h of the chassis 111 of the device body 110 above the surface when the rotating member 130 of the cleaning device 100 is not in contact with the blocking member 113. Similarly, when the cleaning device 100 is located on the operating surface N, the blocking member 113 can also be pushed down relative to the main wheel 121 by the rotating member 130. That is, when the rotating member 130 moves to its highest point in the first direction and then moves in the second direction, such as downward, the vertical distance between the device body 110 and the main wheel 121 (e.g., relative to the center of the main wheel 121) decreases. The first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other; that is, clockwise and counterclockwise directions are opposite to each other; during rotation in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, rotation upward and rotation downward are also opposite to each other.

[0062] In some embodiments, the rotating member 130 abuts against the blocking member 113. This can be understood as the blocking member 113 being located above the rotating member 130, such that the force exerted by the rotating member 130 on the blocking member 113 has a component perpendicular to the operating surface (e.g., perpendicular to the operating surface N upwards). This causes the blocking member 113 to adjust its distance relative to the main wheel 121 as the rotating member 130 rotates and abuts against the blocking member 113. If the rotating member 130 and the blocking member 113 merely contact each other without exerting any force, or if the rotating member 130 exerts a force on the blocking member 113 but this force has no component perpendicular to the operating surface, these situations are not within the scope of the rotating member 130 abutting against the blocking member 113 described in this disclosure.

[0063] As shown in Figures 4A to 4B, with the rotation radius of the rotating member 130 as R, if the rotating member 130 rises to the position of the blocking part 1131 shown in Figure 4B, relative to the state in Figure 4A, the distance change value (h2-h1) of the blocking member 113 in the first direction is the difference of the vertical component of the distance of the rotation radius R at the corresponding position of the blocking part 1131.

[0064] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning device 100 shown in Figures 4A to 4C, in which the rotating member 130 abuts against the blocking member 113 to adjust the distance between the device body 110 and the main wheel 121. As shown in Figure 5, the part of the blocking member 113 that rotates and abuts against the rotating member 130 is the blocking part 1131. The increase in vertical distance of the blocking member 113 relative to the main wheel 121 is related to the range and position of the blocking part 1131. When the blocking member 113 is not rotated and abutted by the rotating member 130, with the rotation radius of the rotating member 130 as R and the vertical component of the distance of the rotating member 130 at the corresponding position of the blocking part 1131 as L, the difference between R and L, Δh (Δh = RL), is the change in distance of the blocking member 113 in the second direction when the rotating member 130 falls back to the corresponding position.

[0065] In some embodiments, the efficiency of lifting the blocking member 113 is related to the range and smoothness of the blocking portion 1131. If there are protruding bumps on the blocking portion 1131, the rotating member 130 may need to pass over the bumps during rotation, and when passing over the bumps, the device body 110 may exhibit an upward jumping posture. To maintain the lifted state of the device body 110, the rotating member 130 can be held at a certain position abutting against the blocking member 113, so that the rotating member 130 and the blocking member 113 are relatively stationary. In addition, to prolong the lifting time of the device body 110, the contact path between the rotating member 130 and the blocking member 113 can be extended by increasing the length or area of ​​the blocking portion 1131, thereby increasing the contact time between the rotating member 130 and the blocking member 113.

[0066] Referring to Figure 5, the blocking part 1131 is located within the rotation radius above the rotating member 130. That is, when the blocking member 113 is not rotated and abutted by the rotating member 130, the rotation range Q of the blocking part 1131 and the rotating member 130 overlap. This overlapping area is at least partially located within the range covered by the rotation radius of the rotating member 130, i.e., within the upper semicircle of the rotation range Q. When the rotating member 130 abuts against the blocking part 1131 and continues to rotate, the blocking part 1131 remains in contact with the rotating member 130. The blocking part 113 is held in a raised state by the continuous abutment of the rotating member 130. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this raised state refers to the distance between the main body 110 and the main wheel 121 being greater than the distance when the blocking part 1131 and the rotating member 130 are not in contact during the continuous abutment and rotation of the blocking part 1131 and the rotating member 130. Furthermore, the raised state can be continuously changing or maintained at a fixed height; in some implementations, the continuous change is, for example, a continuous increase, a continuous decrease, or an oscillating curve change.

[0067] In some embodiments, as the rotating member 130 rotates from the position abutting the blocking part 1131 to the position disengaging from the blocking part 1131, the chassis 111 of the device body 110 may first rise and then fall relative to the wheel assembly 101. That is, as the rotating member 130 switches from rising to abutting the blocking part 1131 to falling back to abutting the blocking part 1131, the chassis 111 of the device body 110 first rises relative to the main wheel 121 and then falls back from the highest point along the same path; in some embodiments, the highest point refers to the point with the longest vertical distance from the center of the main wheel reached during the lifting process. As one implementation, when the rotating member 130 rotates from the position abutting the blocking part 113 to the highest point, the chassis 111 of the device body 110 rises relative to the wheel assembly 101 from the initial position to the highest position; when the rotating member 130 rotates back from the highest point to the position disengaging from the blocking part 113, the chassis 111 of the device body 110 falls back from the highest position to the initial position relative to the wheel assembly 101.

[0068] Figures 6A to 6C illustrate the relative positional changes between the rotating member 130 and the blocking member 113 during counterclockwise rotation in some embodiments. As can be seen from Figures 6A to 6C, the blocking member 113 is lifted by the contact of the rotating member 130, and the lifting height first increases and then decreases. Externally, this manifests as the height h of the chassis 111 of the equipment body 110 relative to the operating surface N first increasing and then decreasing, i.e., h2 > h1 and h2 > h3. Here, h1 is the height h of the chassis 111 of the equipment body 110 in its normal operating posture, at which point the chassis 111 of the equipment body 110 is in its initial position. h2 is the height h of the chassis 111 of the equipment body 110 when it is in its highest lifted position. h3 is the height h of the chassis 111 of the equipment body 110 during the process of the rotating member 130 rotating back from its highest position; when the rotating member 130 disengages from the blocking member 1131, h3 = h1. It is understandable that during the clockwise rotation of the rotating part 130, the height of the chassis 111 of the main body 110 above the surface also increases first and then decreases. At this time, the change in the height of the chassis 111 above the surface is the reverse process when the rotating part 130 rotates counterclockwise.

[0069] The lifting and lowering rates of the chassis 111 relative to the wheel assembly 101 can be set according to actual needs. For example, if the rotating component 130 is set to rotate counterclockwise, and the rotating component 130 is required to quickly lift the chassis 111 to the highest lifting position and hold it at that position for a certain period of time, and then slowly lower the chassis 111, then the blocking surface 1132 can be set as shown in Figures 7A and 7B, which includes three segments: the first segment a is the lifting segment, and the Δh corresponding to the lifting segment increases along the rotation direction of the rotating component 130. When the rotating component 130 rotates to contact the first segment a, it abuts against the chassis 111 and gradually lifts it to the highest lifting position. The first segment is the highest lifting position, with the lifting amount Δh being Δhmax. The second segment b is the holding segment, with the corresponding lifting amount Δh = Δhmax. When the rotating member 130 rotates to contact the second segment b, it abuts the chassis 111 and maintains the highest lifting position. The third segment c is the falling segment, with the corresponding Δh decreasing along the rotation direction of the rotating member 130. When the rotating member 130 rotates to contact the third segment c, it abuts the chassis 111 and gradually falls back to the initial position, where the lifting amount Δh is zero. Further structural configurations of the blocking part 1131 are not exhaustively listed here.

[0070] Referring to Figures 8A and 8B, in some embodiments, the blocking surface 1132 is a plane. This plane can be set parallel to the operating surface N where the cleaning device 100 is located, or it can be set at a certain angle to the operating surface N. It is understood that this plane is located above the rotation center of the rotating member 130. Since the blocking part 1131 is a plane, this plane can be divided into two segments: the first segment a1 is a lifting segment, and the Δh corresponding to the lifting segment increases along the rotation direction of the rotating member 130. When the rotating member 130 rotates to contact the first segment a1, it gradually rises to the highest lifting position against the chassis 111, and the lifting amount Δh at the highest lifting position is Δhmax; the second segment b1 is a falling segment, and the Δh corresponding to the falling segment decreases along the rotation direction of the rotating member 130. When the rotating member 130 rotates to contact the second segment b1, it gradually falls back to the initial position against the chassis 111, and the lifting amount Δh at the initial position is zero.

[0071] In some embodiments, the distance from the ground to the bottom of the chassis 111 during its entire rise and fall is infinitely variable, and the rise distance of the chassis 111 can be detected by setting a position detection device. Details of the position detection device will be described in detail below and will not be elaborated here.

[0072] In some embodiments, the planar blocking portion 1131 is symmetrically arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating member 130 and parallel to the operating surface N of the cleaning device 100, as shown in FIG8A. In FIG8A, the axis of symmetry C passes through the rotation center of the rotating member 130, and the planar blocking portion 1131 is symmetrically arranged with respect to the axis of symmetry C. That is, the first segment a1 and the second segment b1 have the same dimensions, and the lifting rate and the falling rate of the chassis 111 are also symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating member 130. This makes the change in the amount of lifting produced by the blocking portion 113 the same whether the rotating member 130 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. Since there is only one change in the amount of lifting of the blocking portion 113, the rotation algorithm control of the rotating member 130 is relatively simple and the action execution is relatively more precise.

[0073] Please refer to Figures 8A and 8B. In some embodiments, along the travel direction of the cleaning device 100, the rotation center of the rotating member 130 has a positional difference 'a' with the rotation center O of the main wheel 121 of the wheel assembly 101. This can be because the projection of the rotation center O of the main wheel 121 on the horizontal plane is located in front of the projection of the rotation center of the rotating member 130 on the horizontal plane. This allows the rotating member 130 to rotate and move relative to the main wheel 121, further improving the obstacle-crossing ability of the cleaning device 100.

[0074] Referring to Figure 9, in some embodiments, the blocking member 113 is a cover provided on the chassis 111, with the side of the chassis 111 recessed to form the cover. The position of the cover corresponds to the position of the wheel assembly 101, and the cover is fastened to the wheel end of the wheel assembly 101 (i.e., the position of the main wheel 121). The wheel end of the wheel assembly 101 has a large mounting area, which facilitates the installation of the rotating member 130 and provides space for the rotating member 130 to rotate.

[0075] Please refer to Figure 10, which shows a side view of a cleaning device 100 in some embodiments. The cleaning device 100 can be a sweeping robot, a mopping robot, a sweeping and mopping robot, etc. The cleaning device 100 includes at least a device body 110 and a wheel assembly 101. During the cleaning process, the wheel assembly 101 can move forward, backward, or rotate according to instructions, so that the cleaning device 100 can move forward, backward, or turn, thereby enabling it to travel to various positions in the area to be cleaned. Referring to Figure 10, the wheel assembly 101 includes a main wheel 121 and a rotating member 130. The rotating member 130 is rotatably connected to the main wheel 121 and can rotate relative to the main wheel 121.

[0076] Referring to Figure 10, when the rotating member 130 rotates to a position at least partially below the main wheel 121, the rotating member 130 pushes at least a portion of the device body 110 and the main wheel 121 to rise relative to the operating surface N. That is, the rotation radius of the rotating member 130 is greater than the distance between the rotation center of the rotating member 130 and the lowest point of the main wheel 121. Therefore, the rotating member 130 can rotate to a position at least partially below the main wheel 121 to rotatably abut against the main wheel 121 and the device body 110. It can be understood that the lifting of at least a portion of the device body 110 relative to the operating surface N by the rotating member 130 can be an increase in the overall height of the device body 110 above the ground, or an increase in the height of a specific part of the device body 110 above the ground, such as the front end of the device body 110 being raised. When the rotating member 130 pushes the main wheel 121 to rise relative to the operating surface N, the main wheel 121 completely disengages from the operating surface N.

[0077] Because the rotating component 130 can push the main wheel 121 and at least part of the equipment body 110 to rise relative to the operating surface N, when the main wheel 121 is completely disengaged from the operating surface N and at least part of the equipment body 110 is raised off the ground, the cleaning equipment 100 can overcome higher obstacles, thereby improving the obstacle-crossing effect of the cleaning equipment 100.

[0078] Referring to Figure 10, in some embodiments, the rotating member 130 may include a rotating arm 131 and an auxiliary wheel 132. The rotating arm 131 is rotatably connected to the main wheel 121, and the auxiliary wheel 132 is rotatably connected to the rotating arm 131. As one embodiment, the first end of the rotating arm 131 is connected to the main wheel 121, and the auxiliary wheel 132 is mounted on the second end of the rotating arm 131, which is also the free end of the rotating arm 131. The rotation of the rotating member 130 and the rotation of the main wheel 121 may be driven by the same driving member or by different driving members, which is not limited in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the rotating member 130 may also include only the rotating arm 131.

[0079] In some embodiments where the main body 110 of the device also includes a blocking member 113, the rotating member 130 pushes the blocking member 113 to lift. In some embodiments, the rotating arm 131 may push the blocking member 113 to lift, and the auxiliary wheel 132 may not contact the blocking member 113. Alternatively, although the auxiliary wheel 132 and the blocking member 113 are in contact, the auxiliary wheel 132 does not abut against the blocking member 113. In this case, the blocking member 113 may not cause wear to the auxiliary wheel 132.

[0080] The rotating member 130 pushes the blocking member 113 to rise, or the auxiliary wheel 132 pushes the blocking member 113 to rise, with the rotating arm 131 not in contact with the blocking member 113; or the rotating arm 131 is in contact with the blocking member 113, but the rotating arm 131 does not abut against the blocking member 113. Since the auxiliary wheel 132 can rotate relative to the rotating arm 131, the stability of the auxiliary wheel 132 is poor during the process of pushing the blocking member 113 to rise. Therefore, in some embodiments, the cleaning device 100 may further include a locking member (not shown in the figure), which locks the auxiliary wheel 132 during the process of the auxiliary wheel 132 pushing the blocking member 113 to rise, restricting the rotation of the auxiliary wheel 132 relative to the rotating arm 131. The locking member may be a buckle, a locking pin, or other parts, and the specific structure is not limited in this disclosure.

[0081] In other embodiments, the rotating member 130 pushes the blocking member 113 to rise, or the rotating arm 131 and the auxiliary wheel 132 can push the blocking member 113 to rise together. Since the auxiliary wheel 132 can rotate relative to the rotating arm 131, there is rolling friction between the auxiliary wheel 132 and the blocking member 113, resulting in low frictional resistance.

[0082] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is located outside the rotating arm 131 along the radial direction of the rotation axis of the rotating member 130. That is, the auxiliary wheel 132 and the rotating arm 131 have a radial difference along the radial direction of the rotation axis of the rotating member 130. Correspondingly, rotating the rotating member 130 to a position where at least a portion is below the main wheel 121 can be understood as rotating the rotating member 130 to a position where at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is below the main wheel 121.

[0083] In some embodiments, the cleaning equipment 100 has a high-altitude obstacle-crossing function and a chassis-lifting function, but the drive devices corresponding to the components that realize the two functions are different. For example, a cable and a cable drive are provided in the main body 110 of the equipment. When the cable is pulled by the cable drive, it drives the wheel assembly 101 to rotate relative to the main body 110, thereby raising the main body 110 relative to the operating surface N, thus realizing the chassis-lifting function. In conjunction with the rotating component 130 in the above embodiment, the rotating component 130 pushes the main wheel 121 and at least part of the main body 110 to rise relative to the operating surface N, thus realizing the high-altitude obstacle-crossing function. However, since the drive devices corresponding to the components that realize the above two functions are different, the cost is high. Furthermore, the two drive devices are installed in different positions on the cleaning equipment, occupying more of the internal space of the main body of the equipment, which is not conducive to the miniaturization of the whole machine.

[0084] Therefore, in some embodiments of this disclosure, a cleaning device 100 is provided that utilizes a rotating member 130 to achieve chassis 111 lifting and obstacle-crossing capabilities. These embodiments of the cleaning device 10 will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 to 20.

[0085] Referring to Figure 10, the rotating member 130 rotates to a position at least partially below the main wheel 121 to push the main wheel 121 to rise relative to the operating surface N. The rotating member 130 being below the main wheel 121 of the wheel assembly 101 can be understood as the contact point between the rotating member 130 and the operating surface N being below the lowest point of the main wheel 121. At this point, the rotating member 130 contacts the operating surface N, supporting the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110. When the rotating member 130 rotates and abuts against the operating surface N, it adjusts the distance between the main wheel 121 and at least a portion of the equipment body 110 relative to the operating surface N. In other words, when the rotating member 130 rotates to the upper semicircular portion of its rotation range, it abuts against the blocking member 113, causing the chassis 111 of the equipment body 110 to rise relative to the main wheel 121 and the operating surface N, thus achieving the chassis 111 lifting function. When the rotating component 130 rotates to the lower semicircle of its rotation range, it abuts against the operating surface N, causing the main wheel 121 and at least a portion of the equipment body 110 to rise relative to the operating surface N, as shown in Figure 10. Because both the main wheel 121 and at least a portion of the equipment body 110 are raised relative to the operating surface N, the main wheel 121 can overcome obstacles such as steps and thresholds exceeding its radius, achieving a high-altitude obstacle-crossing function.

[0086] The rotating component 130 enables chassis lifting and obstacle-crossing functions, saving equipment costs. Furthermore, since the rotating component 130 is mounted on the main wheel 121, which is at least partially exposed outside the main body 110, the mounting position of the rotating component 130 can also be set on the outside of the main body 110. When rotating, the rotating component 130 can either partially extend into the interior of the main body 110 or remain permanently on the outside of the main body 110, thereby reducing the space occupied by the rotating component 130.

[0087] Referring to Figures 10 and 11, in some embodiments, the rotating component 130 includes a rotating arm 131 and an auxiliary wheel 132, with the auxiliary wheel 132 rotatably connected to the rotating arm 131. When the auxiliary wheel 132 is driven by the rotating arm 131 to a position lower than the main wheel 121, it contacts the operating surface N, driving the cleaning device 100 to move. That is, even when the main wheel 121 is suspended and not in contact with the obstacle M, the entire cleaning device 100 can still be driven by the auxiliary wheel 132. The auxiliary wheel 132 can drive the cleaning device 100 at least to a position where the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M. After the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 acts as the primary drive, driving the cleaning device 100 to continue moving. While the main wheel 121 is driving the cleaning device 100, the auxiliary wheel 132 can continue to rotate to provide auxiliary driving force, or it can stop rotating.

[0088] It should be noted that when the rotating member 130 rotates to the position abutting the blocking member 113, the component of the rotating member 130 that contacts the blocking member 113 can be either the rotating arm 131 or the auxiliary wheel 132. Considering that the auxiliary wheel 132 itself rotates, in some embodiments, in order to improve the motion accuracy of the chassis 111 lifting process, when the rotating member 130 rotates to the position abutting the blocking member 113, only the rotating arm 131 contacts the blocking member 113, and sliding friction is generated between the rotating member 130 and the blocking member 113. The auxiliary wheel 132 can be located on the outside of the blocking member 113, that is, the projections of the auxiliary wheel 132 and the blocking part 1131 on the horizontal plane do not coincide, as shown in Figure 11. Therefore, when the rotating member 130 rotates to the position abutting the blocking member 113, the auxiliary wheel 132 does not contact the blocking part 1131, as shown in Figure 11A.

[0089] In summary, when the rotating component 130 rotates in the upper half of its rotation range and abuts against the blocking component 113, the rotating arm 131 abuts against the blocking component 113; when the rotating component 130 rotates in the lower half of its rotation range and is at least partially below the main wheel 121, the auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the operating surface N, driving the cleaning equipment 100 to continue moving, while the rotating arm 131 is a certain distance away from the operating surface N to avoid contact with the operating surface N and thus avoid wear and tear, and to avoid generating resistance that hinders the movement of the cleaning equipment 100.

[0090] Figure 10 shows a side view of the cleaning device 100 in a driving state; Figure 11 shows a bottom view of the main body 110 and wheel assembly 101 of the cleaning device 100 in an assembled state, but the wheel assembly on the right side of Figure 11 is hidden to clearly show the blocking part 1131. For ease of understanding, the following description will be based on the wheel assembly 101 on the left side of the cleaning device 100 shown in Figure 11, in conjunction with Figures 12 to 17. Unless otherwise stated, the description of the wheel assembly 101 is also suitable for the wheel assembly on the right side of the cleaning device 100 shown in Figure 11 (which is hidden in the figure).

[0091] Referring to Figures 12 and 13, the wheel assembly 101 includes a traveling member 120 and a rotating member 130. The traveling member 120 includes at least a main wheel 121 and a first driving member 122 for driving the main wheel 121 to rotate. The main wheel 121 serves as the first driving wheel of the cleaning device 100 and is also the main drive wheel. In some embodiments, the traveling member 120 further includes a first transmission member 123 for realizing power transmission, which transmits the torque output by the first driving member 122 to the main wheel 121. The first transmission member 123 can also realize functions such as deceleration and power reversal during torque transmission. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 13, the main wheel 121 is a motor, and the first transmission member 123 includes a plurality of first transmission gears meshing sequentially. The transmission ratio of the plurality of first transmission gears is greater than 1, thereby achieving the effect of deceleration and torque increase during transmission.

[0092] The rotating component 130 includes at least a rotating arm 131 and an auxiliary wheel 132. The rotating arm 131 is rotatably connected to the main wheel 121, and the auxiliary wheel 132 is rotatably connected to the rotating arm 131. In some embodiments, a separate driving component can be provided to drive the auxiliary wheel 132 to rotate; in other embodiments, the auxiliary wheel 132 can also be driven by the first driving component 122. Based on this, the auxiliary wheel 132 serves as the second driving wheel of the cleaning device 100, and is also an auxiliary driving wheel.

[0093] In some embodiments, the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 are respectively poweredly coupled to the first driving member 122, meaning that both the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 are driven by the first driving member 122. When the first driving member 122 outputs power, the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 can rotate simultaneously. In some embodiments, a clutch can also be provided to allow the power output by the first driving member 122 to be operably transmitted to either the main wheel 121 or the auxiliary wheel 132.

[0094] Referring to Figure 13, in some embodiments, the rotating member 130 further includes a third transmission member 133. The third transmission member 133 transmits the torque output by the first driving member 122 to the auxiliary wheel 132. In some embodiments, the rotating arm 131 includes a first end and a second end. The rotating member 130 is rotatably connected to the main wheel 121 through the first end of the rotating arm 131. The auxiliary wheel 132 is connected to the second end of the rotating arm 131, and the second end is also the free end of the rotating arm 131. The third transmission member 133 is internally disposed within the rotating arm 131 to transmit the torque output by the first driving member 122 to the auxiliary wheel 132. The third transmission member 133 can also perform functions such as deceleration and power reversal during torque transmission. The specific structure of the third transmission member 133 will not be described in detail here.

[0095] The power for the rotation of the rotating component 130 can also come from the first driving component 122. In some embodiments, the torque output by the first driving component 122 can be transmitted to the rotating component 130 by providing a transmission component in the wheel assembly 101. Considering that in some usage scenarios only the rotating component 130 needs to rotate and the cleaning equipment 100 does not need to move (the main wheel 121 and / or the auxiliary wheel 132 rotate), a clutch can also be provided to operably transmit the power output by the first driving component 122 to the main wheel 121, the auxiliary wheel 132, or the rotating component 130. The clutch can be a mechanical clutch, an electromagnetic clutch, etc. Different structural forms of clutches have been disclosed in the prior art, so the specific structure of the clutch will not be described here.

[0096] Referring to Figure 13, in some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 further includes a second drive member 125, which is dynamically coupled to the rotating member 130, driving the rotating member 130 to rotate. In some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 may also include a second transmission member 126. The second transmission member 126 transmits the torque output by the second drive member 125 to the rotating member 130. The specific structure of the second transmission member 126 can be referred to the first transmission member 123 and the third transmission member 133, and will not be repeated here. Based on the rotating member 130 being rotatably mounted on the main wheel 121 of the walking member 120, the second drive member 125 and the second transmission member 126 can also be disposed on the walking member 120, so that the walking member 120, the rotating member 130, the second drive member 125, the second transmission member 126 and the third transmission member 133 together form a modular wheel assembly 101, resulting in a higher degree of integration of the cleaning device 100.

[0097] Referring to Figures 13, 14, and 15, in some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 further includes an output section 1261 for outputting power to the second drive member 125. The output section 1261 is power-coupled with the rotating member 130, transmitting the power of the second drive member 125 to the rotating member 130, thereby driving the rotating member 130 to rotate. In embodiments where the wheel assembly 101 may also include a second transmission member 126, the output gear of the second transmission member 126 may serve as the output section 1261. In some embodiments, along the rotation direction of the rotating member 130, the output section 1261 abuts against the rotating member 130, thereby causing the output section 1261 to drive the rotating member 130 to complete a 360° rotation.

[0098] Referring to Figures 14 and 15, in one embodiment, the output section 1261 and the rotating arm 131 are provided with a protrusion 12611, and the other is provided with a groove 13111 into which the protrusion 12611 extends. The protrusion 12611 or the groove 13111 can be provided on the rotating arm 131. Along the rotation direction of the rotating member 130, the protrusion 12611 and the groove 13111 abut against each other. The protrusion 12611 and the groove 13111 are dynamically coupled in the rotation direction of the rotating member 130, thereby driving the rotating member 130 to complete a 360° rotation. The number of protrusions 12611 and grooves 13111 can be one or more, and this disclosure does not impose any limitation.

[0099] In the rotating member 130, both the rotating arm 131 and the auxiliary wheel 132 perform a 360° fixed-axis rotation. Furthermore, the auxiliary wheel 132, mounted on the free end of the rotating arm 131, also performs a 360° rotation. Therefore, the power transmission components of the rotating arm 131 and the auxiliary wheel 132 should be able to achieve power separation. In some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 further includes a transmission unit 1331, which transmits the power output from the first driving member 122 to the auxiliary wheel 132. In embodiments where the wheel assembly 101 may also include a third transmission member 133, one of the transmission gears of the third transmission member 133 can serve as the transmission unit 1331. It is understood that the transmission unit 1331 can be the transmission gear located at the rotation center of the rotating member 130 in the third transmission member 133, and the transmission unit 1331 corresponds in position to the output unit 1261.

[0100] Please refer to Figure 16, which shows an assembly structure diagram of the transmission part 1331 and the output part 1261 in some embodiments. The transmission part 1331 and the output part 1261 are rotatably engaged, but no torque is transmitted between them. In some embodiments, the output part 1261 may have a central hole, through which the transmission part 1331 passes and extends into the rotating member 130. There is an assembly clearance between the transmission part 1331 and the wall of the central hole, so that the rotation of the transmission part 1331 and the output part 1261 does not interfere with each other.

[0101] Figure 17 shows an exploded view of the walking component 120 and the rotating component 130 in a specific embodiment. Referring to Figure 17, in some embodiments, the walking component 120 includes a first base 1241, a first upper cover 1242, and a second upper cover 1243. The first upper cover 1242 covers the first base 1241, and the second upper cover 1243 also covers the first base 1241. The first upper cover 1242 and the second upper cover 1243 may have overlapping areas to facilitate the connection of the first base 1241, the first upper cover 1242, and the second upper cover 1243. The first base 1241, the first upper cover 1242, and the second upper cover 1243 together form the housing 124 of the walking component 120, and the first transmission component 123, the second drive component 125, and the second transmission component 126 are all located in the housing 124. In some embodiments, the first transmission member 123 may be located in the cavity enclosed by the first base 1241 and the first upper cover 1242, while the second drive member 125 and the second transmission member 126 may both be located in the cavity enclosed by the first base 1241 and the second upper cover 1243, thus physically separating the first transmission member 123 from the second drive member 125 and the second transmission member 126. A portion of the third transmission member 133 is located in the housing 124, and the remaining portion is located in the rotating arm 131. In some embodiments, the third transmission member 133 may also be entirely located in the rotating arm 131.

[0102] To facilitate the installation of the third transmission component 133, referring to Figure 17, the rotating arm 131 includes a second base 1311 and a third upper cover 1312. When the second base 1311 and the third upper cover 1312 are fastened together, they form a rotating arm 131 with an internal mounting cavity. Most of the components of the third transmission component 133 are housed within the mounting cavity of the rotating arm 131. Only components of the third transmission component 133 that are power-coupled with the first transmission component 123 (e.g., the transmission part 1331) are located outside the rotating arm 131. The second base 1311 is closer to the traveling member 120 than the third upper cover 1312, and protrusions 12611 or grooves 13111 can be provided on the second base 1311.

[0103] As an optional implementation scheme, referring to Figure 17, the second driving member 125 and the second transmission member 126 can be driven by a worm gear mechanism. On the one hand, the worm gear mechanism, as a reversing transmission mechanism, can change the transmission direction of power to facilitate the arrangement of the second driving member 125 and the second transmission member 126 within the housing 124, thereby improving the compactness of the wheel assembly 101; on the other hand, the self-locking force of the worm gear mechanism can be used to precisely control the rotational position of the rotating member 130.

[0104] In some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 further includes several detection elements. These detection elements can detect the rotational position, rotational angle, etc., of the rotating member 130; and / or, the detection elements can be rotation detection elements that acquire the rotational parameters of the second drive member 125. These detection elements can be optocouplers, microswitches, encoders, Hall sensors (e.g., Hall position reference sensors, Hall zero-position sensors, Hall travel sensors, Hall gear sensors, Hall proximity switches, etc.), and the specific types are not limited in this disclosure.

[0105] Referring to Figure 17, in some embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 may be configured with at least one position detection element 127. The position detection element 127 is located within the rotation range of the rotating member 130. For example, the position detection element 127 may be located on the main wheel 121 or on the housing 124. When the rotating member 130 rotates to the position where the position detection element 127 is located, the position detection element 127 is triggered. The position detection elements 127 may be distributed at key locations within the rotation range of the rotating member 130. For example, the blocking part 1131 is a plane parallel to the operating surface N. During the process of the rotating member 130 rotating from the position of touching the blocking part 113 to the position of disengaging from the blocking part 113, the chassis 111 of the device body 110 gradually rises to its highest point relative to the traveling member 120, and then gradually falls back down. A position detection element 127 can be installed at the following locations: the position where the rotating member 130 just touches the blocking part 1131 (corresponding to the first position where the lifting amount is zero), the position where the rotating member 130 just leaves the blocking part 1131 (corresponding to the second position where the lifting amount is zero), and the position where the distance between the contact surface and the rotation center of the rotating member 130 is the largest (corresponding to the position where the lifting amount is the largest). The position detection element 127 can be used to determine whether the rotating member 130 has rotated to the position of the position detection element 127. The position detection element 127 can be an optocoupler, a microswitch, a Hall sensor, etc., and the specific type is not limited in this disclosure.

[0106] In other embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 may also be configured with a rotation detection element (not shown in the figure). The rotation detection element is located on the second drive member 125 and acquires the rotation parameters of the second drive member 125. For example, the rotation detection element can detect the rotation angle or the number of rotations of the second drive member 125, thereby accurately obtaining the rotation angle of the rotating member 130. The rotation detection element may be an encoder, a Hall sensor, a resolver, etc., and the specific type is not limited in this disclosure. In still other embodiments, the wheel assembly 101 may be configured with a position detection element 127 and a rotation detection element; more embodiments are not exhaustively described here.

[0107] Please refer to Figure 18, which shows a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device 100 according to some other embodiments of this disclosure. The cleaning device 100 also includes a driven wheel 140, which is connected to the device body 110 and located at the front of the device body 110. In some embodiments, the driven wheel 140 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the device body 110 and located at the front of the device body 110, in front of the wheel assembly 101 (with the front of the traveling direction of the cleaning device 100 as the front). The driven wheel 140 is at least located at the front of the wheel assembly 101, and the driven wheel 140 and the two wheel assemblies 101 form a triangular support, enabling the cleaning device 100 to travel stably. In some embodiments, the driven wheel 140 may also be located at the rear of the device body 110, or driven wheels 140 may be located at both the front and rear of the device body 110. The driven wheel 140 may be configured as a swivel wheel, making the forward, backward, and turning movements of the cleaning device 100 more stable and smooth.

[0108] Please refer to Figure 19, which shows a structural schematic diagram of a cleaning device 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The cleaning device 100 further includes a support wheel 150, which is connected to the device body 110 and located at the rear of the device body 110. In some embodiments, the support wheel 150 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the device body 110 and located at the rear of the device body 110 and behind the wheel assembly 101 (with the rear of the cleaning device 100 in the direction of travel as the rear). The support wheel 150 is located behind the wheel assembly 101. The support wheel 150 contacts the operating surface N at least when the cleaning device 100 travels in an inclined posture with the front end of the device body 110 raised, and the support wheel 150 and the two wheel assemblies 101 form a triangular support, so that the cleaning device 100 travels stably and avoids the rear end of the device body 110 from contacting the operating surface N and causing scratches. When the cleaning equipment 100 is in normal operating condition (the main body of the equipment is not tilted or raised), the support wheel 150 can be set at a certain height from the operating surface N so as not to interfere with non-cleaning objects (such as slippers, toys, etc.) on the operating surface N.

[0109] In some embodiments, the cleaning device 100 may further include a drive member for driving the driven wheel 140 and the support wheel 150 to extend from the device body 110. As an optional implementation, the driven wheel 140 is at least partially exposed at the bottom of the device body 110 and contacts the operating surface N. The support wheel 150 is normally retracted into the device body 110, and upon receiving a command to extend the support wheel 150, the corresponding drive member drives the support wheel 150 to extend outside the device body 110.

[0110] As an alternative implementation, the driven wheel 140 is at least partially exposed at the bottom of the device body 110, contacting the operating surface N. The support wheel 150 always extends beyond the device body 110, but at a certain height from the operating surface N. Referring to Figure 20, in some embodiments, the cleaning device 100 further includes a third drive (not shown) connecting the device body 110 and the driven wheel 140. The third drive drives the driven wheel 140 to adjust its distance relative to the device body 110, causing the driven wheel 140 to rise and fall relative to the device body 110. Upon receiving a command to extend the driven wheel 140, the third drive drives the driven wheel 140 to fully extend beyond the device body 110.

[0111] In some embodiments, the driven wheel 140 is connected to the device body 110 via a wheel frame 141, as shown in Figure 20. The wheel frame 141 connects the device body 110 and the driven wheel 140. In some embodiments, the wheel frame 141 is initially hidden within the device body 110. When a command to extend the driven wheel is received, a third drive unit drives the wheel frame 141 to swing outward and downward, causing the driven wheel 140 to abut against the operating surface N. This pushes the front end of the device body 110 through the wheel frame 141, lifting the front end of the device body 110 and causing the device body 110 to present a tilted posture with the front end raised and the rear end lowered, as shown in Figure 20. In this posture, the support wheel 150 also contacts the operating surface N. At this time, the driven wheel 140, the support wheel 150, and the two wheel assemblies 101 (the main wheel 121 or the auxiliary wheel 132 abutting against the operating surface N) form a quadrilateral support, stabilizing the driving posture of the cleaning device 100.

[0112] It is understood that the first drive unit 122, the second drive unit 125, the third drive unit, the position detection unit 127, the rotation detection unit, and the obstacle detection unit 180 are all electrically connected to the controller. The first drive unit 122, the second drive unit 125, and the third drive unit perform corresponding functions under the control commands of the controller, and the position detection unit 127, the rotation detection unit, and the obstacle detection unit 180 send detection signals to the controller.

[0113] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a control method for a cleaning device 100. This control method primarily limits the machine behavior of the cleaning device 100 when it encounters obstacles such as thresholds or steps that are higher than the radius of the main wheels 121 and that the device cannot bypass. No restrictions are placed on the normal cleaning actions of the cleaning device 100, or on its subsequent actions when it fails to overcome an obstacle.

[0114] The control method of the cleaning equipment 100 will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 21 to 27.

[0115] It should be noted that the following embodiments are illustrated by taking the application of the control method to a cleaning device 100 in any embodiment of the first aspect of this disclosure as an example. For instance, the control method can be applied to the controller in the cleaning device 100 of the above embodiments of this disclosure. The control method can also be applied to the cleaning device 100 disclosed in the prior art. In other embodiments, the control method can also be executed by other devices that communicate data with the cleaning device 100, such as remotely controlling the cleaning device 100 through devices such as mobile phones, computers, and tablets. This disclosure does not limit the implementation methods of other devices or the execution entities of each embodiment.

[0116] Referring to Figure 21 and Figures 21A to 21B, the control method of the cleaning equipment 100 includes the following steps 105-106.

[0117] Step 105: Control the rotating component 130 of the rotating cleaning device 100 until the auxiliary wheel 132 of the rotating component 130 abuts against the operating surface N. Adjust the distance between the main wheel 121 of the cleaning device 100 and at least part of the device body 110 of the cleaning device 100 and the operating surface N through the auxiliary wheel 132, as shown in Figure 21A.

[0118] Before performing step 105, the cleaning equipment 100 has detected a tall obstacle M ahead. The main wheel 121 alone cannot overcome the obstacle M. Therefore, the rotating component 130 is needed to lift the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110. The rotating component 130 rotates until at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is below the main wheel 121, thus pushing the main wheel 121 relative to the operating surface N. This causes the main wheel 121 to detach from the operating surface N and be positioned at a certain height above it. The increased height of the main wheel 121 relative to the obstacle M facilitates its easy ascent to the obstacle M in subsequent steps, or allows it to remain above the obstacle M, thereby completing obstacle crossing. The main wheel 121 then detaches from the operating surface N, and the auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the operating surface N, supporting the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110, as shown in Figure 22A. It is understandable that after the main wheel 121 is lifted, the entire traveling component 120, where the main wheel 121 is located, is also lifted. The lifting of the main wheel 121 as described below can be understood as the lifting of the entire traveling component 120.

[0119] In step 106: Control the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 to guide the cleaning device 100 to move until the cleaning device 100 crosses the obstacle, as shown in Figure 21B.

[0120] In step 106, controlling both the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 of the cleaning device 100 to rotate is not narrowly limited to the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 rotating at every moment, but should cover the cases where only the main wheel 121 provides driving force and only the auxiliary wheel 132 provides driving force. That is to say, in step 106, both the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 can provide driving force, but the two do not move completely synchronously.

[0121] In one possible implementation, before the main wheel 121 leaves the operating surface N and contacts the obstacle M, the cleaning device 100 is driven by the auxiliary wheel 132. After the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, sliding friction is generated between the main wheel 121 and the obstacle M, driving the cleaning device 100. In another possible implementation, after the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 jointly drive the cleaning device 100 until the cleaning device 100 crosses the obstacle M, thus completing the obstacle-crossing action.

[0122] In some embodiments, after the cleaning device 100 completes the obstacle-crossing action, the rotating component 130 retracts to its initial position, causing the height of the device body 110 to drop. The cleaning device 100 then continues to perform subsequent cleaning operations.

[0123] Referring to Figure 22 and Figures 22A to 22E, a flowchart of a control method for a cleaning device 100 in certain embodiments of this disclosure is shown. The control method includes the following steps.

[0124] In step 105: Control the rotating component 130 of the rotating cleaning device 100 to the point where the auxiliary wheel 132 of the rotating component 130 abuts against the operating surface N, and adjust the distance between the main wheel 121 of the cleaning device 100 and at least part of the device body 110 of the cleaning device 100 relative to the operating surface N by means of the auxiliary wheel 132.

[0125] In some embodiments, step 105 may be performed as follows: control the rotating component 130 of the cleaning device 100 to rotate to a position lower than the main wheel 121 of the cleaning device 100, so as to raise the main wheel 121 and the device body 110 of the cleaning device 100, as shown in FIG22A.

[0126] Before performing step 105, the cleaning equipment 100 has detected a tall obstacle M ahead. The main wheel 121 alone cannot overcome the obstacle M. Therefore, the rotating component 130 is needed to lift the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110. The rotating component 130 rotates until at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is below the main wheel 121, thus pushing the main wheel 121 relative to the operating surface N. This causes the main wheel 121 to detach from the operating surface N and be positioned at a certain height above it. The increased height of the main wheel 121 relative to the obstacle M facilitates its easy ascent to the obstacle M in subsequent steps, or allows it to remain above the obstacle M, thereby completing obstacle crossing. The main wheel 121 then detaches from the operating surface N, and the auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the operating surface N, supporting the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110, as shown in Figure 22A. It is understandable that after the main wheel 121 is lifted, the entire traveling component 120, where the main wheel 121 is located, is also lifted. The lifting of the main wheel 121 as described below can be understood as the lifting of the entire traveling component 120.

[0127] When the main wheel 121 and the main body 110 are lifted as a whole, the main body 110 can be in a horizontal position, basically parallel to the ground. It is understood that the main body 110 being basically parallel to the operating surface N is not narrowly limited to a direction strictly parallel to the operating surface N, but rather covers situations where it forms a certain angle with the direction parallel to the operating surface N (e.g., an angle less than 10°). When the main wheel 121 and the main body 110 are lifted as a whole, the main body 110 can also exhibit a backward tilting posture with the front end raised and the rear end lowered. In other embodiments, when the main wheel 121 and the main body 110 are lifted as a whole, the main body 110 can also exhibit a diving posture with the rear end raised and the front end lowered. This disclosure does not limit the specific posture of the main body 110 when the main wheel 121 and the main body 110 are lifted as a whole.

[0128] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the main wheel 121 to cross the obstacle M in subsequent steps, the result of the rotating member 130 raising the main wheel 121 and the device body 110 may be that the rear of the device body 110 gradually rises relative to the front and the front gradually falls back relative to the rear, but the entire device body 110 still appears to be in a state of being raised relative to the operating surface N. Referring to Figure 22A, in some embodiments, the rotating component 130 of the cleaning device 100 is rotated to a position where the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially located behind and below the main wheel 121. The rotating component 130 and the auxiliary wheel 132 support the cleaning device 100 from the rear of the main wheel 121, so that the lifting amount of the rear of the device body 110 is greater than the lifting amount of the front. The device body 110 has a tendency to move forward and downward, which facilitates the device to use gravity to dive over the obstacle M in subsequent steps. Furthermore, since the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially located behind the main wheel 121, it can be ensured that the auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the obstacle M later than the main wheel 121, which facilitates the main wheel 121 to actively climb the obstacle M.

[0129] In step 1061: Control the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 to guide the cleaning device 100 to move until the cleaning device 100 crosses the obstacle.

[0130] In some embodiments, step 1061 may be performed as follows: control both the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 of the cleaning device 100 to rotate, so as to drive the cleaning device 100 to travel until the main wheel 121 passes over the obstacle M, as shown in FIG22B.

[0131] In step 1061, controlling both the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 of the cleaning device 100 to rotate is not narrowly limited to the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 rotating at every moment, but should cover the cases where only the main wheel 121 provides driving force and only the auxiliary wheel 132 provides driving force. That is to say, in step 106, both the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 can provide driving force, but the two do not move completely synchronously.

[0132] In one possible implementation, before the main wheel 121 leaves the operating surface N and contacts the obstacle M, the cleaning device 100 is driven by the auxiliary wheel 132. After the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, sliding friction is generated between the main wheel 121 and the obstacle M, driving the cleaning device 100. In another possible implementation, after the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 jointly drive the cleaning device 100 until the main wheel 121 passes over the obstacle M, at which point the cleaning device 100 completes the obstacle-crossing action.

[0133] In some embodiments, after the main wheel 121 passes over obstacle M, the overall height of the machine drops. At this time, since the rear of the main body 110 (located behind the main wheel 121) has not yet passed obstacle M, during the drop in overall height and during the process of the main wheel 121 continuing to travel until the rear of the main body 110 passes obstacle M, the rear of the main body 110 and the components mounted on it (such as the mop, support wheel 150, etc.) may interfere with obstacle M. Therefore, in some embodiments, the control method further includes steps 107 and 108, in which the rotating member 130 rotates to abut against the main body 110, so that the rear of the main body 110 of the cleaning device 100 is higher than obstacle M, so that the entire cleaning device 100 passes over obstacle M.

[0134] In step 107: Control the rotating component 130 to abut against the main body 110 and rotate, so as to adjust the distance between the main body 110 and the main wheel 121.

[0135] In some embodiments, step 107 may be performed as follows: controlling the rotating member 130 to rotate and abut against the blocking member 113 of the device body 110, so that the rear of the device body 110 of the cleaning device 100 is higher than the obstacle M, as shown in FIG22C. In some embodiments, at least one of the rotating arm 131 and the auxiliary wheel 132 of the rotating member 130 abuts against the blocking member 113 provided on the chassis 111 of the device body 110, so that the blocking member 113 drives the chassis 111, thereby causing the rear of the entire device body 110 to rise above the obstacle M.

[0136] In order to quickly increase the height of the rear of the main body 110, in some embodiments, the rotating member 130 rotates to abut against the main body 110 at a position further back than the rotation center of the rotating member 130, so that the main body 110 is in a horizontal posture or a forward tilted posture with the rear end raised and the front end lowered, and the rear of the main body 110 is higher than the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 22C.

[0137] In step 108: Control the main wheel 121 to guide the main body 110 of the equipment to move until the main body 110 of the equipment passes over the obstacle M.

[0138] In some embodiments, step 108 may be performed as follows: control the main wheel 121 to drive the cleaning device 100 to the rear of the device body 110 to pass over the obstacle M, and the cleaning device 100 completes the obstacle-crossing action.

[0139] Since the main wheel 121 has already passed the obstacle M and contacted the operating surface N in step 106, the cleaning device 100 continues to move in step 108 mainly driven by the main wheel 121 or only driven by the main wheel 121 until the rear of the main body 110 of the device also passes the obstacle M, and the cleaning device 100 completes the obstacle crossing action, as shown in Figure 22D.

[0140] In some embodiments, after the main wheel 121 drives the cleaning device 100 to the rear of the device body 110 and clears the obstacle M, the cleaning device 100 completes the obstacle-clearing action and should return to its normal driving posture. If the rotating component 130 is still in the position abutting the device body 110 at this time, the rotating component 130 can be controlled to reset, so that the device body 110 falls back to its initial position relative to the main wheel 121, and the cleaning device 100 returns to its normal driving posture, as shown in Figure 22E.

[0141] In the above control method, during the process of the main wheel 121 crossing the obstacle M, the cleaning equipment 100 undergoes a climbing process from the operating surface N to the obstacle M, and a falling process from the obstacle M back to the operating surface N. During this process, the overall height of the cleaning equipment 100 will change significantly, and the impact on the cleaning equipment 100 will be relatively large. To make this process smoother, referring to Figure 23 and Figures 23A to 23F, step 106 can be performed as follows.

[0142] In step 1061A: Control the rotation of the rotating component 130, the main wheel 121 and the auxiliary wheel 132 to increase the distance between the main wheel 121 and at least part of the equipment body 110 and the operating surface N, until the main wheel 121 moves onto the obstacle M.

[0143] In some embodiments, step 1061A may be performed as follows: control the main wheel 121 and auxiliary wheel 132 of the cleaning device 100 to rotate, and the rotating member 130 to rotate in a direction closer to the obstacle M, so as to drive the cleaning device 100 to travel until the main wheel 121 travels on the obstacle M, as shown in FIG23A.

[0144] During this process, the main wheel 121 contacts the operating surface N, applying a forward thrust to the cleaning device 100. The auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the obstacle M, applying an upward thrust to the cleaning device 100. The rotating component 130 rotates towards the obstacle M, its own posture becoming closer to vertical. During this process, the rotating component 130 adjusts the distance between the main wheel 121 and at least part of the device body 110 and the operating surface N, increasing the upward thrust to the cleaning device 100. Under the combined action of these three thrusts, the cleaning device 100 overcomes its own weight and can easily climb over the obstacle M.

[0145] When the main wheel 121 has climbed onto the obstacle M and the cleaning equipment 100 is driven to the position where the rotating part 130 contacts the obstacle M, the angle between the rotating part 130 and the vertical direction is the smallest, and the rotating part 130 reaches the position of the maximum contact height with the main wheel 121, as shown in Figure 23A.

[0146] Since the front end of the main body 110 has already passed the obstacle M, it can be suspended in mid-air, as shown in Figure 23A. The front end of the main body 110 can also be supported on the operating surface N by the driven wheel 140, as shown in Figure 23B. At this time, the front end of the main body 110 is lower than the position of the main wheel 121, causing the main body 110 to tilt forward, facilitating the subsequent steps where the equipment uses gravity to dive over the obstacle M. For cleaning equipment 100 with a third drive unit, in this step, the driven wheel 140 and wheel frame 141 can be extended and supported on the operating surface N by the third drive unit, as shown in Figure 23C. At this time, depending on the relative height of the driven wheel 140 and wheel frame 141 to the obstacle M, the main body 110 can be in a horizontal, backward, or forward tilted position.

[0147] In step 10621: Control the rotation of the main wheel 121 to guide the movement of the main body 110 on the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 23D.

[0148] In this step, since the main wheel 121 has climbed onto the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 can guide the movement of the main body 110 on the obstacle M.

[0149] In step 10622: Control the retraction of the rotating component 130 and the auxiliary wheel 132. In some embodiments, step 10622 may be performed as follows: control the rotating component 130 to retract until the auxiliary wheel 132 is above the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 23D.

[0150] Since the rotating component 130 has already contacted the obstacle M before step 10621, it is necessary to retract the rotating component 130 in this step, retracting it until the auxiliary wheel 132 is higher than the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 23D, so that both the rotating component 130 and the auxiliary wheel 132 can smoothly pass over the obstacle M.

[0151] In some embodiments, since the retraction of the rotating member 130 and the auxiliary wheel 132 is achieved by rotating the rotating member 130, which does not interfere with the rotation of the main wheel 121, steps 10621 and 10622 can be executed simultaneously in some embodiments.

[0152] In some embodiments, after controlling the rotating component 130 to retract to a position higher than the obstacle M in step 10622, the rotating component 130 is controlled to continue rotating upward, abutting against the device body 110 and lifting it to lower the center of gravity of the device body 110, as shown in Figure 23E. This step can increase the forward tilt angle of the device body 110, which is more conducive to the device using gravity to dive over the obstacle M in subsequent steps.

[0153] In step 1063: Control the main wheel 121 to guide the main body 110 of the equipment to move until the main wheel 121 is disengaged from the obstacle M. Drive the cleaning equipment 100 to continue moving by the main wheel 121, and the main wheel 121 will disengage from the obstacle M, that is, the main wheel 121 will pass over the obstacle M.

[0154] Before step 1063, the rotating component 130 has been retracted, and the auxiliary wheel 132 is higher than the obstacle M. At this time, only the main wheel 121 is in contact with the obstacle M, and the main wheel 121 drives the cleaning equipment 100 to continue moving. After the center of gravity of the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110 have both moved forward, when the center of gravity of the main wheel 121 has moved forward to the front of the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 falls onto the operating surface N and passes over the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 23F.

[0155] In some embodiments, before step 1063, the main body 110 of the device is in a forward-leaning posture. In step 1063, the forward shift of the center of gravity of the cleaning device 100 is due to both the driving force of the main wheel 121 and the forward-leaning component of the force generated by the forward-leaning posture of the main body 110. Under the combined action of these two forces, the center of gravity of the cleaning device 100 shifts forward. The forward-leaning posture of the main body 110 accelerates the process of the main wheel 121 overcoming the obstacle M and also causes the rear of the main body 110 to rise, preventing the rear of the cleaning device 110 from scraping against the obstacle M during its downward movement.

[0156] Before step 105, where the rotating component 130 of the cleaning equipment 100 is rotated to a position lower than the main wheel 121, the cleaning equipment 100 can be in a normal driving posture or a tilted posture conducive to obstacle crossing. The change from a normal driving posture to a tilted posture can be achieved by extending the driven wheel 140 to raise the front end of the equipment body 110; alternatively, the rotating component 130 can swing to the front of the main wheel 121 and contact the operating surface N, causing the front of the equipment body 110 to tilt upwards; or the equipment body 110 can be driven into a tilted posture by a chassis lifting mechanism such as a cable. This disclosure does not limit the specific implementation scheme of the tilted posture of the equipment body 110.

[0157] Please refer to Figure 25 and Figures 25A to 25C. In some embodiments, step 105 may be performed as follows.

[0158] In step 1051: Control the rotation of the rotating component 130 until the auxiliary wheel 132 abuts against the operating surface N, and adjust the distance of at least part of the equipment body 110 of the cleaning equipment 100 relative to the operating surface N by means of the auxiliary wheel 132, as shown in Figure 25A.

[0159] In some embodiments, adjusting the distance of at least a portion of the device body 110 relative to the operating surface N in step 1051 is intended to at least increase the height of the front end of the device body 110 from the operating surface N, so that the front end of the device body 110 can rest on the obstacle M, in preparation for subsequent obstacle crossing.

[0160] In some embodiments, when the cleaning device 100 is in normal driving mode, the controller of the cleaning device 100 receives the detection signal from the obstacle sensor to determine whether there is an obstacle in front and the size information of the obstacle. When it is determined that there is an obstacle in front and the size of the obstacle is large and exceeds a set threshold, the controller controls the rotating member 130 to rotate until the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially in front of the main wheel 121 and in contact with the operating surface N, so that the main body of the device 110 is in a tilted posture with the front end raised, as shown in FIG25A.

[0161] When the front end of the device body 110 is raised and rests on the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 can still contact the operating surface N. Therefore, in the subsequent step 1052, either the main wheel 121 or the auxiliary wheel 132 can be rotated to provide driving force for the cleaning device 100. In some other embodiments, if the obstacle M is too high, when the front end of the device body 110 is raised and rests on the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 will detach from the operating surface N and be suspended in the air. In this case, driving force for the cleaning device 100 can only be provided by controlling the rotation of the auxiliary wheel 132.

[0162] In step 1052: Control the rotation of the auxiliary wheel 132 to drive the movement of the main body 110 of the equipment until the main wheel 121 comes into contact with the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 25B.

[0163] In some embodiments, in step 1052, the main wheel 121 is adjusted to contact the obstacle M, so that the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M. When the main wheel 121 rotates, friction is generated between it and the obstacle M. This friction is used to help the main wheel 121 climb the obstacle M, creating favorable conditions for subsequent obstacle crossing actions.

[0164] In step 1053: Control the rotation of the rotating component 130 until the auxiliary wheel 132 abuts against the operating surface N again, so that the auxiliary wheel 132 applies pressure to the operating surface N, and adjust the distance between the main wheel 121 and at least part of the equipment body 110 relative to the operating surface N, as shown in Figure 25C.

[0165] In some embodiments, step 1053 involves lifting the main wheel 121 and the device body 110 via the rotating member 130. The rotating member 130 rotates until at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is below the main wheel 121, thereby pushing the main wheel 121 to rise relative to the operating surface N, causing the main wheel 121 to detach from the operating surface N and be positioned at a certain height above the operating surface N. The increased height of the main wheel 121 relative to the obstacle M facilitates easy ascent of the main wheel 121 onto the obstacle M in subsequent steps, or allows the main wheel 121 to be positioned above the obstacle M, thus completing obstacle crossing. After the main wheel 121 detaches from the operating surface N, the auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the operating surface N, supporting the main wheel 121 and the device body 110.

[0166] In some embodiments, in steps 1051 and 1053, the rotating member 130 is controlled to rotate until the auxiliary wheel 132 abuts against the operating surface N, thereby raising at least a portion of the equipment body 110. However, the relative positional relationship between the rotating member 130 and the main wheel 121 in steps 1051 and 1053 can be different. For example, in step 1051, the rotating member 130 rotates until at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is located in front of the main wheel 121; for example, in step 1053, the rotating member 130 rotates until at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is located behind the main wheel 121. It is understood that the relative positional relationship between the rotating member 130 and the main wheel 121 in steps 1051 and 1053 can also be the same. For example, the rotating member 130 rotates until at least a portion of the auxiliary wheel 132 is located behind the main wheel 121, so that the auxiliary wheel 132 applies pressure to the operating surface N, adjusting the distance between the main wheel 121 and at least a portion of the equipment body 110 relative to the operating surface N.

[0167] Please refer to Figures 25 and 25A to 25E, which show flowcharts of a control method for the cleaning device 100 in some embodiments. Referring to Figures 25 and 25A to 25E, the control method for the cleaning device 100 includes the following steps.

[0168] In step 201: Control the rotating component 130 to rotate until the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially in front of the main wheel 121 and in contact with the operating surface N, so that the main body of the equipment 110 is in an inclined posture with the front end raised.

[0169] When the cleaning equipment 100 is in normal operating condition, as shown in Figure 25A, the controller of the cleaning equipment 100 receives the detection signal from the obstacle sensor to determine whether there is an obstacle in front and the size information of the obstacle. When it is determined that there is an obstacle in front and the size of the obstacle is large and exceeds the set threshold, the controller rotates the rotating component 130 until the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially in front of the main wheel 121 and in contact with the operating surface N, so that the main body of the equipment 110 is in a tilted posture with the front end raised, as shown in Figure 25B.

[0170] In this step 201, since the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially located in front of the main wheel 121 and in contact with the operating surface N, the supporting force of the rotating component 130 on the main body 110 is applied to the front of the main body 110, thereby causing the main body 110 to tilt in a tilted posture with the front end raised.

[0171] In step 202: Control the main wheel 121 of the cleaning device 100 to rotate, so as to drive the cleaning device 100 to travel until the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 25B.

[0172] In this step, the auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the operating surface N to drive the cleaning device 100. As an alternative implementation, step 102 can control the main wheel 121 to rotate, but the main wheel 121 does not contact the operating surface N to prevent the cleaning device 100 from losing its straight-line movement. The auxiliary wheel 132 guides the movement of the device body 110. When the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, the front of the device body 110 is above the obstacle M. Along the forward direction of the cleaning device 100, if the height of the obstacle M is less than the height of the front of the device body 110 above the surface (if the device body 110 is a cylinder, the size of the front of the device body 110 is the radius of the cylinder), for example, if the obstacle M is a threshold, then when the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, the front end of the device body 110 has already passed the obstacle M.

[0173] In some embodiments, a driven wheel 140 is provided at the front end of the device body 110, so that when the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, the driven wheel 140 has already passed the obstacle M. In some embodiments, the device body 110 is provided with a third driving member, so that after the driven wheel 140 has passed the obstacle M, the third driving member can be controlled to drive the driven wheel 140 to extend, and the driven wheel 140 supports the cleaning device 100 in front of the obstacle M. The auxiliary wheel 132 can be rotated to support the cleaning device 100 behind the main wheel 121 to execute step 203.

[0174] In step 203: Control the rotating component 130 to rotate upward so that the auxiliary wheel 132 disengages from the operating surface N.

[0175] Before step 203, the auxiliary wheel 132 has already contacted the obstacle M. Since the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially located in front of the main wheel 121, the main wheel 121 is blocked by the auxiliary wheel 132 and cannot contact the obstacle M. It is necessary to control the rotating member 130 to rotate upward so that the auxiliary wheel 132 is disengaged from the operating surface N, and the rotating member 130 rotates at least until the auxiliary wheel 132 no longer affects the position of the main wheel 121 contacting the obstacle M, as shown in Figure 25D.

[0176] Since in subsequent step 205, the rotating component 130 abuts against the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110 and rises, the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially located behind the main wheel 121. Therefore, in this step 203, the rotating component 130 can be controlled to continue rotating backward until the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially located behind the main wheel 121 and contacts the operating surface N again, as shown in Figure 25E.

[0177] In step 204: Control the main wheel 121 to drive the cleaning device 100 to travel until the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M, as shown in Figures 25D and 25E.

[0178] When the rotating component 130 rotates to the point where the auxiliary wheel 132 does not affect the position of the main wheel 121 in contact with the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 can rotate forward. Therefore, step 204 can be performed simultaneously with step 203.

[0179] After step 204, the cleaning device 100 continues to execute steps 205 to 208. The specific content of steps 205 to 208 can be referred to the specific content of steps 105, 1061, 107 and 108 in the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0180] In some embodiments, when the height of the obstacle M is low, the cleaning device 100 can pass over the obstacle M simply by raising the chassis. Accordingly, referring to Figure 26 and Figures 26A to 26C, the control method of the cleaning device 100 includes the following steps.

[0181] Step 307: Control the rotating part 130 of the cleaning equipment 100 to abut against the main body 100 of the cleaning equipment 100 and rotate, so as to adjust the distance between the main body 110 and the main wheel 121 of the cleaning equipment 100.

[0182] In some embodiments, step 307 may be performed as follows: control the rotating member 130 to rotate and abut against the device body 110 so that the device body 110 of the cleaning device 100 is higher than the obstacle M, as shown in FIG26A.

[0183] In some embodiments, at least one of the rotating arm 131 and the auxiliary wheel 132 of the rotating member 130 abuts against the blocking member 113 provided on the chassis 111 of the equipment body 110, so that the blocking member 113 drives the chassis 111, thereby causing the equipment body 110 to be raised above the obstacle M. The raising of the equipment body 110 can be a uniform raising of the equipment body 110, or a raising of the front or rear of the equipment body 110, and this disclosure does not impose any limitations.

[0184] In step 308: Control the main wheel 121 to guide the cleaning device 100 to move until the cleaning device 100 passes over the obstacle, as shown in Figure 26B.

[0185] In step 308, the main wheel 121 drives the cleaning device 100 to travel at a constant speed and pass over the obstacle M; or it drives the cleaning device 100 to accelerate and use inertia to pass over the obstacle M. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions.

[0186] In some embodiments, after the main wheel 121 drives the cleaning device 100 to travel to the rear of the device body 110 and pass over the obstacle M, the cleaning device 100 completes the obstacle-crossing action, as shown in Figure 26B. After the cleaning device 100 completes the obstacle crossing, it should return to its normal driving posture. If the rotating component 130 is still in the position abutting against the device body 110, the rotating component 130 can be controlled to reset, so that the device body 110 falls back to its initial position relative to the main wheel 121, and the cleaning device 100 returns to its normal driving posture, as shown in Figure 26C.

[0187] In some embodiments, steps 307 and 308 can also be several steps in other obstacle-crossing processes. For example, the main wheel 121 has already crossed the obstacle M, but the support wheel 150 located at the rear of the device body 110 is lower than the obstacle M and will collide with it. In this case, after the main wheel 121 has crossed the obstacle M, step 307 can be used to at least lift the rear of the device body 110, so that the entire device body 110 can pass through the obstacle M smoothly.

[0188] Referring to Figure 27, a complete flowchart of a cleaning device 100 in some embodiments performing the above-described control method is shown. Specifically:

[0189] When the cleaning equipment 100 is in normal driving condition, it continuously detects whether there are obstacles in front of it, as well as the size information of the obstacles.

[0190] When it is determined that there is an obstacle in front, and the size of the obstacle is large and exceeds the set threshold, the rotating component 130 is controlled to rotate until the auxiliary wheel 132 is at least partially in front of the main wheel 121 and in contact with the operating surface N, so that the main body of the equipment 110 is in an inclined posture with the front end raised.

[0191] Control the rotation of at least one of the main wheel 121 and auxiliary wheel 132 of the cleaning device 100 to drive the cleaning device 100 to travel until the auxiliary wheel 132 contacts the obstacle M.

[0192] In some embodiments, this step should at least ensure that the auxiliary wheel 132 rotates to guide the movement of the cleaning equipment 100. When the front end of the equipment body 110 is raised and rests on the obstacle M, the main wheel 121 may be suspended in the air or in only partial contact with the operating surface N. If only the rotation of the main wheel 121 is controlled, the main wheel may spin freely, and the equipment will not be able to move forward.

[0193] Control the rotating component 130 to rotate upward so that the auxiliary wheel 132 is disengaged from the operating surface N, and control the main wheel 121 to drive the cleaning equipment 100 to travel until the main wheel 121 contacts the obstacle M.

[0194] When the auxiliary wheel 132 disengages from the operating surface N, the distance between the main wheel 121 and the operating surface N decreases until the main wheel 121 contacts the operating surface N, and the main wheel 121 drives the cleaning equipment 100 to move.

[0195] The rotating component 130 of the cleaning equipment 100 is controlled to rotate to a position lower than the main wheel 121 of the cleaning equipment 100, so as to raise the main wheel 121 and the equipment body 110 of the cleaning equipment 100.

[0196] The main wheel 121 and auxiliary wheel 132 of the cleaning equipment 100 are both rotated to drive the cleaning equipment 100 to travel until the main wheel 121 travels on the obstacle M.

[0197] Control the rotating component 130 to retract until the auxiliary wheel 132 is above the obstacle M.

[0198] Control the main wheel 121 to drive the cleaning equipment 100 to continue moving until the main wheel 121 passes the obstacle M.

[0199] The rotating component 130 is controlled to rotate and abut against the main body 110 of the equipment, so that the rear of the main body 110 of the cleaning equipment 100 is higher than the obstacle M.

[0200] The main control wheel 121 drives the cleaning equipment 100 to the rear of the equipment body 110 to pass over the obstacle M, and the cleaning equipment 100 completes the obstacle crossing action.

[0201] The control rotating component 130 is reset so that the main body 110 of the equipment falls back to the initial position relative to the main wheel 121, and the cleaning equipment 100 returns to its normal driving posture.

[0202] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer program instructions that can be executed by the processor. When the processor executes the computer program instructions, it implements the operations performed by the control method of the cleaning device in any of the second aspects described above.

[0203] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium including at least one piece of program code stored thereon, the at least one piece of program code being loaded and executed by a processor to implement the operations performed by the control method of the cleaning device of any of the embodiments of the second aspect described above.

[0204] A cleaning device according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure includes a device body and a wheel assembly. The device body includes a blocking member, and the wheel assembly includes a main wheel and a rotating member. The rotating member is rotatably connected to the main wheel and is capable of rotating relative to the main wheel. During rotation, the rotating member can contact the blocking member. When the rotating member contacts the blocking member and continues to rotate, the rotating member adjusts the distance between the device body and the main wheel, causing the entire device body to rise relative to the main wheel. This increases the ground clearance of the device body's chassis, thereby enabling it to overcome higher obstacles and improving the obstacle-crossing effect of the cleaning device.

[0205]

[0206] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0207] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” and “counterclockwise” indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this disclosure.

[0208] It should be noted that all directional indications in this embodiment are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0209] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this disclosure is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this disclosure, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0210] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this disclosure.

[0211] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A cleaning device, comprising: The main body of the equipment includes blocking components; and A wheel assembly, connected to the device body, guides the movement of the device body, the wheel assembly comprising: Main wheel, which guides the movement of the main body of the equipment; A rotating component, rotatably connected to the main wheel, When the rotating component abuts against the blocking component and rotates, the rotating component adjusts the distance between the main body of the device and the main wheel.

2. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The portion of the blocking member that abuts against the rotating member is located within the rotation radius of the rotating member.

3. The cleaning apparatus of claim 2, wherein, When the rotating member abuts against the blocking member and rotates in the first direction, the distance between the main body of the device and the main wheel increases; and When the rotating component abuts against the blocking component and rotates in the second direction, the distance between the main body of the device and the main wheel decreases. The first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other.

4. The cleaning apparatus of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The rotating component includes: A rotating arm, including a first end and a second end, wherein the rotating member is rotatably connected to the main wheel via the first end of the rotating arm; and An auxiliary wheel, which is connected to the second end of the rotating arm, When the rotating member abuts against the blocking member and rotates, the rotating member abuts against the blocking member through the second end of the rotating arm or the auxiliary wheel.

5. The cleaning apparatus of claim 4, wherein, The wheel assembly also includes a second drive member that drives the rotating arm to rotate.

6. The cleaning apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The wheel assembly further includes a second transmission member that transmits the driving force of the second drive member to the rotating arm.

7. The cleaning apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The wheel assembly also includes: A rotation detection element is connected to the second driving element, and the rotation detection element acquires the rotation parameters of the second driving element.

8. The cleaning apparatus of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, When the rotating component rotates to abut against the operating surface, the rotating component adjusts the distance between the main wheel and at least part of the main body of the equipment relative to the operating surface.

9. The cleaning apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The rotating component includes: A rotating arm, including a first end and a second end, wherein the rotating member is rotatably connected to the main wheel via the first end of the rotating arm; and An auxiliary wheel, which is connected to the second end of the rotating arm, When the rotating member abuts against the blocking member and rotates, the rotating member abuts against the blocking member through the second end of the rotating arm or the auxiliary wheel. When the rotating component abuts against the operating surface, the rotating component abuts against the operating surface via the auxiliary wheel and guides the main body of the equipment to move.

10. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The auxiliary wheel is connected to the second end of the rotating arm via a central shaft, and the auxiliary wheel at least partially protrudes from the rotating arm to abut against the operating surface.

11. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The wheel assembly further includes a first drive member that drives the main wheel and the auxiliary wheel to rotate.

12. The cleaning apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The rotating arm further includes a third transmission component, which is disposed within the rotating arm and connected to the auxiliary wheel to transmit the driving force of the first driving component to the auxiliary wheel.

13. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The wheel assembly also includes a position detection element disposed on the main wheel, which is triggered when the rotating arm rotates to the position of the position detection element.

14. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1-3, further comprising a driven wheel connected to the device body and located on the front side of the device body.

15. The cleaning device of claim 14, further comprising a third drive member connected to the device body and the driven wheel, the third drive member driving the driven wheel to adjust the distance relative to the device body.

16. The cleaning device of claim 14, further comprising a support wheel connected to the device body and located at the rear of the device body.

17. The cleaning apparatus of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The blocking element is a cover for the wheel assembly that is fastened to the side of the chassis of the main body of the equipment.

18. A cleaning apparatus, characterized by include: Equipment body; as well as A wheel assembly, connected to the device body, guides the movement of the device body, the wheel assembly comprising: Main wheel, which guides the movement of the main body of the equipment; A rotating component, rotatably connected to the main wheel, When the rotating component rotates to abut against the operating surface, the rotating component adjusts the distance between the main wheel and at least part of the main body of the equipment relative to the operating surface.

19. The cleaning apparatus of claim 18, wherein, The rotating component includes: A rotating arm, including a first end and a second end, wherein the rotating member is rotatably connected to the main wheel via the first end of the rotating arm; and An auxiliary wheel, which is connected to the second end of the rotating arm, When the rotating component abuts against the operating surface, the rotating component abuts against the operating surface via the auxiliary wheel and guides the main body of the equipment to move.

20. The cleaning apparatus of claim 18, wherein, The main body of the device includes: When the rotating member abuts against the blocking member and rotates, the rotating member adjusts the distance between the main body of the equipment and the main wheel.

21. The cleaning apparatus of claim 20, wherein, The wheel assembly also includes: A rotating arm, including a first end and a second end, wherein the rotating member is rotatably connected to the main wheel via the first end of the rotating arm; and An auxiliary wheel, which is connected to the second end of the rotating arm, When the rotating component abuts against the operating surface, the rotating component abuts against the operating surface via the auxiliary wheel and guides the movement of the main body of the equipment. When the rotating member abuts against the blocking member and rotates, the rotating member abuts against the blocking member through the second end of the rotating arm or the auxiliary wheel.

22. A method for controlling a cleaning device, comprising: The rotating component of the cleaning equipment is controlled to abut against the main body of the cleaning equipment and rotate, so as to adjust the distance between the main body of the equipment and the main wheel of the cleaning equipment; The main wheel is controlled to guide the cleaning equipment to move until the cleaning equipment passes over the obstacle.

23. The control method of claim 22, wherein, Before the rotating component controlling the cleaning equipment abuts against the main body of the cleaning equipment and rotates, the method further includes: The auxiliary wheel of the rotating component is controlled to abut against the operating surface, and the distance between at least a portion of the main body of the equipment and the operating surface is adjusted by the auxiliary wheel. Controlling the rotation of the auxiliary wheel to drive the movement of the main body of the device until the main wheel abuts the obstacle; and The rotating component is controlled to rotate until the auxiliary wheel abuts against the operating surface again, and pressure is applied to the operating surface by the auxiliary wheel to adjust the distance of at least part of the main wheel relative to the obstacle.

24. The control method of claim 23, further comprising, after controlling the rotation of the rotating member until the auxiliary wheel abuts against the operating surface again: Control the rotation of the main wheel to guide the movement of the main body of the device on the obstacle; Control the retraction of the rotating component and the auxiliary wheel; as well as The main wheel is controlled to guide the movement of the main body of the device until the main wheel is removed from the obstacle.

25. The control method according to claim 23, wherein When the rotating component of the cleaning device abuts against the main body of the cleaning device and rotates to adjust the distance between the main body of the device and the main wheel of the cleaning device, the main wheel rotates to guide the cleaning device to travel until the main wheel contacts the obstacle.

26. A method for controlling a cleaning device, comprising: The rotating component of the cleaning equipment is controlled to rotate until the auxiliary wheel of the rotating component abuts against the operating surface. The distance between the main wheel of the cleaning equipment and at least a portion of the main body of the cleaning equipment and the operating surface is adjusted by the auxiliary wheel. The main wheel and the auxiliary wheel are controlled to guide the cleaning equipment to move until the cleaning equipment passes over the obstacle.

27. The control method of claim 26, wherein, The method of controlling the main wheel and auxiliary wheel to guide the cleaning device to move until the cleaning device crosses the obstacle also includes: The main wheel and the auxiliary wheel are controlled to guide the cleaning device to move until the main wheel is disengaged from the obstacle; The rotating component is controlled to abut against the main body of the equipment and rotate, so as to adjust the distance between the main body of the equipment and the main wheel; The main wheel is controlled to guide the movement of the main body of the equipment until the main body of the equipment passes over the obstacle.

28. The control method of claim 27, wherein, The method of controlling the main wheel and the auxiliary wheel to guide the cleaning device to move until the main wheel is disengaged from the obstacle also includes: The rotating component, the main wheel, and the auxiliary wheel are controlled to rotate so that the distance between the main wheel and at least a portion of the main body of the device and the operating surface increases until the main wheel moves onto the obstacle; Control the rotation of the main wheel to guide the movement of the main body of the device on the obstacle; Control the retraction of the rotating component and the auxiliary wheel; and The main wheel is controlled to guide the movement of the main body of the device until the main wheel is removed from the obstacle.

29. The control method of claim 26, wherein The method of controlling the rotating component of the cleaning equipment to rotate until the auxiliary wheel of the rotating component abuts against the operating surface, and adjusting the distance between the main wheel of the cleaning equipment and at least a portion of the main body of the cleaning equipment relative to the operating surface via the auxiliary wheel, further includes: The rotating component is controlled to rotate until the auxiliary wheel abuts the operating surface, and the distance between at least a portion of the main body of the cleaning equipment and the operating surface is adjusted by the auxiliary wheel. Controlling the rotation of the auxiliary wheel to drive the movement of the main body of the device until the main wheel abuts the obstacle; and The rotating component is controlled to rotate until the auxiliary wheel abuts against the operating surface again, and the auxiliary wheel applies pressure to the operating surface to adjust the distance between the main wheel and at least part of the equipment body relative to the operating surface.

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